Reversing-gear for propeller-shafts.



No. 7|4,I97. Patented Nov. '25, I902. A. L. KULL.

REVERSING GEAR FDR PRUPELLEB SHAFTS.

(Application filed Feb. 15, 1902 ("0' Model.)

NiTEn STATES ALBERT L. KULL, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 714,197, dated November 25, 1902.

Application filed February 15, 1902. Serial No. 94,177. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT L. KULL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Camden, in the county of Camden and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reversing-Gears for Propeller-Shafts, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention has relation to reversinggears for propeller-shafts; and in such connection it relates to the construction and arrangement of the parts constituting such reversing-gear for said purposes.

The principal objects of my invention are, first, to provide a simple and efficient mechanism whereby the section of the shaft carrying the propeller proper can be readily disconnected from the section of the propellershaft positively driven in one direction by an engine, so as to bring the propeller to a standstill or to connect said propeller carrying section with the positively-driven section to either drive the propeller in a direction opposite to that of the positively-driven section or in the same direction as said section, and, second, to provide such mechanism with means to prevent the jerking and jamming or breaking of the reversing-gear during the actuation thereof. v

The nature and scope of my invention will be more fully understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a re-' versing-gear and a portion of the propellershaft carrying the propeller embodying the features of my present invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged View, partly in elevation and partly in section, of the reversing-gear; and Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively cross-sectional views -on the lines 3 Sand 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, a represents the section of the propeller-shaft to which the propeller b is suitably secured, and a is the section positively driven in one direction by an engine. (Not shown.) The ends of the sections a and ctof' the propeller-shaft meet within a housing 0 and are provided with bevelgears a and a meshing with bevelgears c, secured to the housing 0, as illustrated in Fig. 2. To each of the sections a housing is arranged a split ring 6, adapted to be spread and to be brought into engagement with the housing bya block e, the extension 6 of which passes thro ughthe disk (1 and projects beyond the same. To the end 6 of the block 6 is secured a curved lever-arm 6 provided at its free end 6 with an adjusting-bolt e normally resting with its head e on the extension d of the disk d, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. Upon the extension (1 is, furthermore, loosely mounted a sleeve f, provided with a cam-surface f, which by means of a lever f is shifted toward and away from the lever-arm e as will be readily understood in connection with Figs. 1 and 2. Above the sleevefthe leverf is provided with a linkf pivotally engaging a link f which by means of a bolt g engages the ends h and h of a band It, loosely surrounding the housing 0. The band 72, is held in position .by trunnions h engaging brackets h secured to a bracket t', serving as a support for the sections a and a of the propeller-shaft, as shown in Fig. 1. The end 71 of the band h is provided with a cam-surface IF, and the head g of the bolt 9 is provided with a corresponding cam-surface giresting against the cam-surface 71?, as shown in Fig. 3. The arrangement between the lever f the bolt 9, and sleeve f is such'that when the lever f is shifted toward the left in Fig. l the sleevef is moved away from the lever-arm c and at the same time the bolt 9 by means of the connecting-links f and f is turned in the same direction, forcing, by means of the cam-surfaces h and g of the end 7L2, the band h, and head 9' of the bolt g, the ends it and k of the band 71. toward each other and clamping said band onto the housing 0 and coupling the same to the bracket 2'. On the other hand, when the lever f is shifted toward the right in Fig. l the band'h is loosened from the housing 0, and at the same time the sleeve f is shifted toward the disk (1 of the housing 0, lifting, by means of its camsurface f, the free end 6 of the lever-arm 6 which actuates the extension 6 of the block 6.

This block in turn spreads the ends of the split ring 9 and brings the same into engagement with the housing 0, and thereby couples said housing with the section a of the propeller-shaft. In the position of the leverf and sleeve 6 shown in the drawings the sleeve and the band hare disengaged from said housing 0, and it follows, therefore, that when the section a of the propeller-shaft is driven by an engine (not shown) in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 the rotation of the sec tion a will not be transmitted to the section a of the propeller-shaft, as the bevel-gear a of the section a will rotate the housing 0 and the bevel-gears c, which in turn will roll over the bevel-gear a of the section a. In this position of the lever f the propeller b will be brought to a standstill. If, however, the leverf is shifted toward the left in Fig. 1 and the housing 0 prevented from rotating by clamping the band it thereon, the rotation of the section a of the propeller-shaft A by means of the bevel gear a of the section a and the bevelgears c of the housing 0 will be transmitted to the bevel-gear a of the section a of the shaft, and the same will now be driven in a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1. When the level-f is shifted toward the right in Fig. 1 and the split ring 6 clamped to the housing 0 in the manner herei-nbefore described, both sections a and a of the propeller-shaft will be coupled together by the housing 0 and its bevel-gears c, and the rotation of the section a, of the propeller-shaftwill now be directly transmitted to the section Ct thereof, and this section and the propeller b will be rotated in the same direction as the section a, which is positively driven by the engine.

If the propeller b is driven at a high rate of speed and it becomes necessary to reverse the direction of rotation thereof, this reversing can be accomplished without any jerking or jamming of the mechanism, as in such instance the housing a is permitted to turn Within the band h fora short distance. This is also the case through recoupling the sections at and a with each other at a high rate of speed of the propeller b or when the same is at a standstill and the section a, alone is driven by the engine. The split ring e within the housing 0 will yield sufficiently by rotating to prevent such jerking or jamming of the mechanism, and as aconsequence a breaking thereof. The ease and safety with which the said reversing-gear can be manipulated makes it applicable for any size engine and propeller and for any speed desired of the same.

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is'

1. In a reversing-gear,a divided shaft, gears mounted on the abutting ends of said divided shaft, gears meshing at right angles with the shaft-gears, a housing inclosing all of said gears and forming a pivotal support for the meshing gears, said housing and meshing gears normally rotating around the shaftgears, a band having a cam-surface, a bolt having a cam-shaped head adapted to engage said cam-surface to clamp said band to said housing for breaking the rotary movement of the housing whereby the motion of one shaft-gear may be transmitted through the meshing gears to the other shaft-gear to turn said gear in an opposite direction, and means for locking one abutting end of the shaft directly to the housing when said housin g normally rotates.

2. In a reversing-gear,a divided shaft,gears secured to abutting ends of said shaft, a housing surrounding the ends of said divided shaft and gears, gears pivotally secured to said housing and meshing with said fixed gears, a band surrounding said housing and having a cam-surface at one end thereof, a bolt engaging the ends of said band and having a cam-shaped head, said head being adapted to engage the cam-shaped end of said band to move the ends toward and away from each other and to bring said band into and out of engagement with said housing, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. In a reversing-gear, adivided propellershaft, gears fixed to the abutting ends of said shaft, a housing surrounding said ends and fixed gears, gears secured 'to said housing and meshing with said fixed gears, a split ring arranged within said housing, a block adapted to spread said ring to engage or disengage said housing, a lever-arm actuating said block, a cam-sleeve actuating said leverarm, a lever actuating said cam-sleeve, a band encircling said housing and having a cam-surface at one end thereof, a bolt engaging the ends of said band and having a cam-shaped head, said head being adapted to engage the cam-shaped end of said band, links connecting said lever with said bolt, said lever adapted to turn the same and to bring said band into engagement with said housing and at the same time to disengage said split ring from said housing by the shifting of said cam-sleeve out of engagement with said lever-arm, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. In a reversing-gear,a divided shaft,gears secured to the abutting ends of said divided shaft, gears meshing at right angles with the shaft-gears, a housing inclosing all of said gears and forming a pivotal support for the meshing gears, a band loosely surrounding said housing and having a cam-surface, a bolt having a cam-shaped head adapted to engage the cam-surface of said band to clamp the same to said housing and prevent movement thereof, a disk secured to one of said same into engagement with said housing, a the other shaft-gear to revolve the same in cam-sleeve adapted to oscillate said arm and the opposite or same direction. spreading-block, and means connecting the In testimony whereof I have hereunto set cam-sleeve and cam-bolt of said band, said my signature in the presence of two subscrib- 5 means adapted to turn said cam-bolt or to ing witnesses.

shift said cam'sleeve on one of said shafts to turn said oscillating arm and said spreading- ALBERT KULL block so as to alternately clamp said band on Witnesses: said split ring to said housing, whereby mo- J. WALTER DOUGLASS, 10 tion of one shaft-gear may be transmitted to THOMAS M. SMITH. 

